Objekt and Call Super in Manchester

Objekt and Call Super in Manchester
Situated just outside Manchester city centre, Partisan is following in the footsteps of Salford's countercultural spaces Islington Mill, Hidden and The White Hotel in attempting to do nightlife differently. It's a one-year-old, 800-member cooperative who use underground music as a way to fundraise so that community and activist groups can use its space for free. "What excites me most is the idea of creating a proper hub of cultural and social activity, which transforms people's lives," said Partisan member and events coordinator Xav Cohen ahead of Partisan's first members-only event taking place in its Grade II listed former synagogue HQ.

"Partisan can be somewhere that socially-unengaged and politically-uninspired people come along to because it's where the most exciting nights happen," he continued. "All they're bargaining for is a good night out, but their experience ends up being much richer than that. Most people can't help but notice that this night is unlike any other nights they've been to—the people serving them at the bar are later dancing with them on the floor, the space itself has the banners and posters of the community groups that use it."

The venue's main room was sparsely decorated with a disco ball, red fairy lights and projected graphics by Meat Free collaborator Sean Clarke, lending the loft-style space a welcoming glow. The atmosphere continued in its volunteer staffed bar area, where the menu notably included Buckfast alongside the usual fare. But it was the upstairs chill-out room that really set this venue apart from everywhere else in Manchester. Here, a meditation class layout met a relaxed squat party clientele, with revellers sprawling on reclaimed sofas, floor cushions and rugs as the smell of incense sticks filled the air and NTS's Microdosing set the tone with ambient sounds.

Back downstairs, Objekt and Call Super had drawn a diverse crowd of young faces and Haçienda-era ravers, with a raised podium attracting the more impassioned dancers. The floor was especially unanimous in its appreciation when the DJs' typically wide-ranging back-to-back entered its last leg with a half hour of drum & bass. Tracks like Nasty Habits' "4Da Cause," OneMind's "Pullup" and AU & Jesta's "io" sustained energy levels right up until the venue's once-monthly permitted 4 AM closing time.

"Having Objekt and Call Super play brought in a lot of new people and member sign-ups, which is always really positive thing for us," said co-organiser Anna Cooper the day after the event. "During the party there were a lot of people asking how they can get involved more. This is so important for the development of Partisan to be able to expand the reach of the communities that we serve, the range of activities and facilities we can provide and our general capacity to help social justice organisations." With making the venue wheelchair accessible and a premises license next on the agenda, it seems Partisan's first members-only party might have set the blueprint for how they can soon achieve these once far-away goals.